time to replace port hole seal

[jlcarreiro]

So I have, I believe Lewmar #2 port hole X4 How much time would you expect to be charged to replace one?
My yard charged me 9 hours? Excessive?

[Cheechako]

For just the rubber seal? or the sealant to the boat? Probably reasonable to remove the portlite, clean the boat and portlite frame, and reseal.

[grantmc]

9 hours sounds about right for the job.
1, It has to be done correctly, the window's obviously not new and might not be perfectly flat.
2, They have to allow a little wiggle room in case it takes longer than expected.
3, They have to allow for something not being right or leaking and in a week or two you come back in complaining, even if nothing to do with the work.

And in all likelihood they don't actually know how long it will take themselves.

[jlcarreiro]

Just the seal at the hatch opening. Nothing else.

[Bill O]

Originally Posted by jlcarreiro

So I have, I believe Lewmar #2 port hole X4 How much time would you expect to be charged to replace one?
My yard charged me 9 hours? Excessive?

At first I read it as 9 hrs. for 4 so maybe not so bad, but for 1 this seems excessive.
Never worked on a Lewmar port, but many others. In general, its not that hard to change a seal.
Maybe the yard is slow and they need xtra revenue for this time of year.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by jlcarreiro

Just the seal at the hatch opening. Nothing else.

WOW, 9 hours is WAY out of line then. You got ripped.

[guyrj33]

Not sure it you're talking about a porthole or a hatch, but for either 9 hours is crazy.
Personally I've done both jobs on my Pearson and neither took anywhere near that long.

[Clivevon]

Not sure if I fully understand you - looks to me like you have opening portlights with rubber seals on the opening part & they billed you for 9 hours to replace that seal on just just one - which sounds outrageous. But there is no poi8nt stewing about it - you need to go back to the yard boss & tell him you think there has been a mistake or misunderstanding - or whatever. If it was my business I would want to know about an unhappy customer. You are about to find out a lot about that yard by the way they deal with your query. It isnt a complaint at this point - its just a request for more information to ask them to validate that bill. Be cool, calm & respectful but make it clear that you are not happy. They will either be able to justify it to your satisfaction, or admit a mistake, or not. In which case you wont use them again. Maybe you pay them just what you think is reasonable & see how they take it from there? whatever, ask them - dont stew about it. Be interested to know how it goes ?

[jlcarreiro]

9 hours was for all four, sorry for not being clear. newbie here...

[SailtheWind]

Originally Posted by jlcarreiro

9 hours was for all four, sorry for not being clear. newbie here...

I believe it is excessive.
On my Caliber 38, I have the Lewmar Size 1 portlights. I replaced the gaskets on all 15 portlights and the O rings on the hinges and handles (4 per portlights). It took me about 8 hours. The first couple of portlights took me a while to figure out (it was my first time) then I got into a nice rhythm. The next day I used a water hose to check my work. No leaks

[Clivevon]

OK it was for all 4. Still sounds a bit much but from past experience as a customer, this is how it might have gone (please remember - NOTHING is done for free...).
You ask the yard to fix the seals so 1 man logs that job on their computer system.
Foreman sees the job & allocates it to Fred (sorry to all Freds..)
Fred leaves office to walk to & get aboard your boat to inspect the seals - how far is that?
He decides they do need replacing so he wanders back to the store to get them - they are not in stock so he asks storeman to order them.
Storeman gets on computer to look up the item & order them. Logs his time onto the computer.
When they arrive the storeman looks for Fred & tells him he now has the seals (& logs his time onto the computer).
Fred then decides it is easier as a 2 man job - one man to hold the seal in place until the glue grabs as the other applies the glue around the porthole bit by bit. Fred gets the glue out of the stores & asks the foreman if Jack can help him.
Fred & Jack get the keys from the office & walk over to your boat & climb aboard.
Fred & Jack do the job - making sure the glue on one seal is fully set before letting it go & moving on to the next one.
Having done 2 they take a tea/coffee break - which they then forget about...
When they have finished all 4, Fred & Jack walk back to the office & fill in a form to log ALL the hours they have EACH taken to complete the task.
Hours are logged in 15 minute increments so a 20 minute task gets logged in as half an hour.
Fred & Jack hand their timesheets into the office. Jill the book keeper logs the timesheets onto the computer & adds her own timesheet for the job - remember the minimum time is 15 minutes...
You get a bill for 9 hours to do what looked at first glance like a simple 2 hour job. Of course the hourly labour rate is nowhere near as low as what the workers actually get paid because it include overheads - rent, insurance, staff wages for all those people not directly chargeable to customers (including the boss), taxes, pensions, dividends to the business owners, profit margin, etc, etc, etc.
After a few of those bills the penny drops & you get a lot more interested in doing that sort of work yourself in future.
Of course you should not sit still for this & you should still go back to the business owner & ask him to justify in detail ALL the nine hours. In my experience you will get a reduction - maybe to 6 ish?? or maybe to half?? Good luck anyway.

[Clivevon]

Remember though that next time you need a job done in a hurry you might find yourself down the queue a bit. Or as Obama said - "back of the line".